Environmental Protection Agency officials say they’re moving quickly on the rewrite of the Waters of the U.S. rule. Agency officials says they’re following the direction they received in the executive order that says jurisdiction over waters and streams must involve waters that flow continuously to navigable waters. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association President Mike Cline says he’s glad the agency is following that guidance.
He says the original WOTUS proposal was a large regulatory overreach and rewriting the rule will hopefully fix that problem.
Cline says as the agency moves ahead with the rewrite, his group wants to be at the table weighing in on the final regulation.
The executive order directed the EPA with their rewrite to follow the late Justice Scalia’s decision. He determined that streams that are dry or occasionally dry may not fall under WOTUS and neither can wetlands that have no continuous surface flow to navigable waters.
